Aims
Psychological distress is common among people affected by cancer however, access to psycho-oncology services is limited. In April 2026, a dedicated pilot psychology service was embedded within a tertiary oncology department to improve access to psychological care. This study aimed to evaluate service demand, engagement and utilisation during the first three months of service operation.
Methods
A retrospective service evaluation was conducted for patients referred to the outpatient oncology psychology service between April and June 2026. Data collected included referral acceptance, urgency category, and appointment outcomes. Descriptive analyses were undertaken to characterise service utilisation.
Results
During the first three months of pilot service operation, 85 patients were referred to the service, of whom 73 (86%) were eligible for intervention. 21 eligible patients (29%) were triaged as urgent referrals. Of the 21 urgent referrals, median time from triage to first contact was 0 days (mean 1.7 days; range 0–8), with 81% contacted within 2 days. 25 patients attended at least 1 appointment, 7 patients were offered an appointment but declined (4 declined due to coping well, 1 only interested in medical intervention for mood, 2 reported lack of capacity to attend). 29 patients remained on the waitlist at the end of the 3-month period. Clinic utilisation was 72% (55/76 available appointment slots attended). Late cancellations (within 24 hours) accounted for 13% (10/76) of available appointments and non-attendance rates were low at 3% (2/76), suggesting high engagement among patients offered psychological care.
Conclusions
Early findings demonstrate substantial demand for embedded psycho-oncology services within a tertiary cancer centre. High clinic utilisation and low non-attendance rates suggest strong patient engagement following referral. These preliminary results support the feasibility and acceptability of integrating psychology within routine oncology care and provide important data to inform psycho-oncology workforce planning and future service development.